Do You Need a License to Be a General Contractor in Texas?

Not from the state. Texas has no state license for general contracting, so any license or registration comes from the city where the job is. 31 of the 37 Texas cities and counties here require a local license or registration for it, and 4 do not. San Antonio requires an exam or certification for it. Local fees run from free in Abilene to $250 in Brownsville. San Antonio rates hardest at 30 of 100, while 9 places tie as easiest at 0, among them Cedar Park, Georgetown, and Houston.

This page covers residential remodels, additions and home improvement.

The Texas state layer for general contracting

What Texas does and does not license

Most cities in this service area require general contractors to register before pulling permits; a few add exams, background checks, bonds or insurance minimums.

Checked October 18, 2026 against TDLR list of regulated programs; Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, Texas Residential Construction Commission (abolished 2009).

General contracting rules in each Texas city and county

Difficulty adds the Texas state layer to each local rule. The easiest and hardest cities page compares every trade.

Tap a column to sort. Blank cells mean the city does not publish that fact. Checked October 18, 2026.

Pflugerville publishes no rule for general contracting. Call the city before you bid there.

We also checked 25 more Texas cities and counties whose offices publish too little online for a full page yet.

What a general contracting job needs in each city

Licensing is half of it. This is how each city handles the permit for general contracting, from its own pages.

• Abilene. Building work needs a permit pulled by a registered building contractor with a $75,000 bond.
• Amarillo. Remodels and additions need a building permit ($0.32 per sq. ft. or $135 minimum, plus $81 plan review and $13 technology fee).
• Austin. Remodels and additions need a residential building permit (Express for qualifying small repairs) with a registered general contractor assigned.
• Brownsville. Additions need a site plan, existing and proposed floor plans and structural plans; alterations need floor plans.
• Cedar Park. Remodels that move or remove interior walls or change electrical, mechanical or plumbing need a permit ($50 plus $100 plan review); additions need a permit.
• College Station. Residential remodels and additions are $0.46 per sq. ft. with a $127 minimum.
• Converse. Remodels, additions and garage conversions need a permit with plans, pulled by a registered contractor.
• Corpus Christi. Remodels and additions need a residential building permit with a floor plan and scope of work.
• Dallas. Remodels and additions need a residential alteration and addition permit pulled by a registered contractor or an exempt homeowner.
• Denton. Residential additions or alterations need a permit applied for in eTRAKiT by a registered contractor.
• El Paso. Additions and alterations need a building permit pulled by a registered general contractor.
• Fort Worth. Remodels and additions need a residential building permit pulled by a registered building contractor or an exempt homeowner.
• Garland. Remodels and additions need a building permit pulled by a registered contractor.
• Georgetown. Remodels and additions need a residential building permit ($60 plus $0.50 per square foot) applied for by a registered contractor; plan review takes 15 to 20 business days.
• Grand Prairie. Residential remodels and additions cost $0.25 per square foot, capped at the new construction fee.
• Houston. Remodels and additions need a building permit, plus separate electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits bought by registered trade contractors.
• Killeen. Remodels and additions need a building permit pulled by a registered contractor.
• Kyle. Remodels and additions need a building permit through the CSS portal, filed by a registered contractor with all subcontractors listed and registered.
• Laredo. Remodels and additions need a residential building permit; fees run $40 plan check and $64 permit up to 1,000 sq. ft., plus a $20 technology fee.
• Leander. Remodels that relocate walls and structural additions need a building permit through the Development Hub; registration for all contractors is requested before the permit is issued.
• Leon Valley. Residential additions and remodels need a building permit ($400 minimum plus $0.50 per square foot, plus 25% plan review).
• Lockhart. Additions and structural remodels need a building permit from a licensed building contractor; interior remodels not involving load-bearing walls need no building permit.
• Lubbock. Remodels and additions need a residential permit; alterations cost $0.15 per square foot of the work area.
• McKinney. Building permits are applied for in the CSS portal; no City contractor registration is needed.
• New Braunfels. Remodels, alterations and additions need a residential building permit; all contractors on the job, including the general contractor, must be registered with the city.
• Odessa. Residential construction and alterations need a building permit applied for in MGO Connect by a registered contractor.
• Plano. Additions and alterations need a residential building permit pulled by a registered contractor.
• Round Rock. Single-family remodels need a $500 remodel permit with all contractors listed; structural changes such as removing a wall need an engineered design.
• San Antonio. Remodels and additions need a residential building permit; non-structural repair work is pulled by a registered Home Improvement Contractor and structural or addition work by a registered Residential Building Contractor or the owner.
• San Marcos. Remodels and additions need a building permit listing the contractor's city license number.
• Schertz. Remodels and additions need a building permit pulled by a registered general contractor; residential plan review is 50% of the permit fee.
• Seguin. Building, altering, repairing or adding to a home needs a building permit submitted by the city-registered contractor with plans.
• Unincorporated Bexar County. Single-family remodels and additions outside city limits need no county building permit; non-single-family buildings need a Fire Marshal building permit with a Public Works Permit Verification Form.
• Unincorporated Comal County. Additions and new structures need no county building permit, but may need OSSF, floodplain and right-of-way permits.
• Universal City. Remodels and additions need a building permit by a registered General or Home Improvement Contractor, with a verification letter for each subcontractor.
• Waco. Residential repairs and alterations need a $200 permit; additions are $0.45 per sq. ft.

How to get licensed for general contracting in Texas

There is no state license to apply for, so you register with each city where you take general contracting jobs, as the table above shows, and pull that city's permit.

Rules and fees change, and this is not legal advice. Confirm with the city where the work is before you apply or bid.